The Only Certainty
by rbexter93
Summary: Evie Humphrey moves back to New York to live with her cousins. How will she cope in the big city? OC
1. Chapter 1

**Currently Untitled**

The story is set during season 2, episode 2 and will continue through the series chronologically from here on. Big events will stay the same, I want to show how my character will react to them. This is the introduction to the story and I will try and upload the first proper chapter sometime later this week. I really would like some comments, whether with stuff you like or stuff you don't like.

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She stood quietly outside the heavy door. Just moving a fraction closer to it, to them, would cause her little self centred world she d been building to spin off course. Everything she'd spent the last few years doing had been to protect herself and she knew how easily they could break it.

It wasn't as though she didn't enjoy spending time with the Humphreys. They always welcomed her with open arms and plates full of waffles. She wasn't fooled. It wasn't hard to spot the faint flash of pity in their smiles. She knew exactly what they were thinking and that was what she couldn't stand. She hated people thinking they knew what she was dealing with, thinking they knew her. Nobody did.

Suddenly, the door opened revealing her to those inside. Her face turned crimson as she realised she'd been caught in her own mental turmoil. Doing her best to salvage the situation, she shrugged her delicate shoulders and smiled at her cousin. How many years had passed since they'd last spent time together? His face was no longer that of her childhood friend who she'd always led into trouble but of a handsome young man.

She couldn't help but laugh as he realised the same thing, taking in her new womanly body.

"Wow, Evie!" he stuttered, "It's been a while." She immediately knew he was still her nerdy Dan. Clumsily, he shifted his body so that she could enter the loft. No matter how many hotels she'd spent time at or how long her mum had made her stay in a tiny van, the loft remained constant.

He tried to be subtle but Evie still noticed him looking nervously at the watch on his wrist.

"Um it is okay for me to be here, right?" she said whilst throwing him a dazzling smile. Nodding rapidly, he responded,

"I'm heading out for a party. It's a thing for the start of term." Once more he looked at his watch before adding, "you can come if you like. It's on the upper east side."

A quick glance at her outfit made her almost respond no. She guessed that those rich kids wouldn t be too impressed by her high street dress although she thought it was cute, a cream strapless prom dress with a black trim. Just before the words left her mouth, she felt a tickle in the back of her throat which caused her to hesitate. The whole point of coming to stay here was to spend some time being a normal girl. Not that she was an expert but the last time she checked normal girls went to parties. Apprehensively, she replied,

Sure, I just need to fix my lip-gloss. We can catch up on our way there." However, the moment she said it aloud she began to feel anxious.

Almost immediately, she ensured her face was set in a smile. That way she still felt safe.


	2. Welcome To The Upper East Side

The journey was spent mainly in an awkward silence. It wasn't that she was bad at making conversation, she had practically mastered the art of small talk with her mum's friends. This wasn't the same scenario.

Suddenly, the silence was broken.

"You remember my story?" A vague statement, she had read all of his work and although some shone above the rest, she couldn't pin-point which he was referring to.

"Um which one? You send me at least one a month." She rolled her eyes to make it seem as though reading his stories was a chore. Evie didn't tell him that without the writing, she had worried they would lose touch with each other. That she would lose touch with the real world.

"The one that got published in the New Yorker. The one about the girl you have to suffer through me gushing about." She found it funny that despite bringing up the conversation, Dan was now blushing crimson red. She nodded, remembering all the times he had texted her with the latest Serena gossip. "Well," he continued, "today you get to meet her."

Images of a busty, tacky, blonde filled her head. She couldn't help but judge her, after everything she'd heard from Dan over the years she couldn't not form an opinion. She hoped that Serena would make a good first impression, for Dan's sake.

Some people may laugh but she had forgotten how beautiful the city was. The weather was humid and many of the elite were still sunning themselves at their Hamptons hideaway leaving the streets for the tourists to roam. The heat in the air cast a fuzzy glow further heightening the spectacular impression of what Evie honestly believed was one of the best places on Earth.

Abruptly, Dan turned his head to face her, his eyes penetrating hers as a warning that he was about to get serious and that she better not lie to him.

"Not to sound rude but why are you back?" She crumpled her nose and dropped her head. It was a stupid reason and she wasn't prepared to share it, especially not here in a cab.

"I really don't want to talk about it. I mean we're meant to be in a party mood. I refuse to kill it for you!" She smiled brightly, making sure to return his stare so that he knew she wasn't backing down. She missed having this sort of connection with someone; the connection only siblings can acquire from growing up together.

As the car screeched to a sudden halt, Evie jumped slightly. Curiously, she inspected the building they had arrived at and saw it was a beautiful, old library. Libraries had always fascinated her inner-nerd, she felt so content and safe curled up in a corner with a previously undiscovered book. It saddened her that this wasn't an occasion when she could do that.

Limos surrounded the street with many people of a similar age to her exiting them. A quick glance at their outfits left her feeling incredibly inadequate. She label-spotted at least 10 of the hottest trends from next season and three bags which weren't even released yet. When Dan said he was going to a party at 2 on a hot, summer afternoon she had expected more casual outfits and that she may be overdressed. Foolishly, she realised that for the rich there was never a time to dress casually. Parties were always lavish and fabulous.

Dan climbed out the door first, offering an arm to help her keep her balance. She took it, clutching tightly to him as though he was her lifeline should she find herself drowning in the turbulent seas of social gatherings. She cocked her head towards him, signalling she was ready to go inside.

The haunting echo of a string quartet drifted down the endless hallway. Eventually, they reached the roof and Dan was whisked away by a pretty brunette gushing about soccer or "football" as she was saying. Evie quickly moved nearer to the crowd, trying to look less isolated. She found it funny how mature this party seemed, much more civilised than anything her mother had ever attended. She wondered if being born into the luxurious lifestyle had caused many of the party-goers to have a heightened sense of maturity or if the sex and drugs were just well hidden.

"Why hello there," an unknown voice purred into her ear. The speaker was uncomfortably close and Evie found herself subconsciously squirming. "I don't know you. Why don't I know you?" The voice sounded persistent and so she turned to look at him. Smarmy was the word that came to mind. He oozed self-confidence and his gaze made Evie feel naked.

"I guess you'd say I'm new," she mumbled, "Nice to meet you, oh I didn't catch your name." She hoped that appearing as disinterested as possible would make him go away quickly.

"Chuck Bass, I thought even newbies knew that." She noticed him chuckle quietly to himself and for a second, Evie forgot the plan and grinned back.

"Well I'm Evie Humphrey and I just moved back to the city." she replied in a much more confident tone, offering him her hand to shake. A strange expression crossed his face upon the mention of her name and he quickly excused himself following that, leaving Evie alone once again.

It was then that she noticed her. All the time spent in Dan's novels (or as she secretly liked to call it, Serena world) made her certain that this was THE Serena. She could see the buttery colour of her hair that she had heard described through so many different metaphors and could hear the booming sound of her laughter that Dan once said was his favourite noise. It was strange to see that this girl was real when she had only ever existed to Evie as part of a story. She hesitated slightly, wondering whether to approach the girl or to continue standing alone. If Dan was dating her, she surely had to be nice.

"Serena," she stuttered nervously, "I'm Dan's cousin. I've heard so much about you." To her surprise, the girl threw her arms around Evie, enveloping her in a bear hug.

"Evie! It's nice to meet at last." It wasn't that she felt awkward hugging someone who technically was a stranger. It was more that she hated hugging people in general. She hated that they were so close to her, that it made her feel as though she'd relinquished control. Even though it was just a simple display of affection, it bothered her more than she would ever let anybody know.

She let Serena drag her into the middle of the party, towards the petite brunette. Evie thought that the word flawless must have been invented just to describe her, one look was enough to tell you this girl was regal. Even if only in her own head.

"B!" Serena shrieked, "Look who's here." The girl half turned her head towards Evie, looking very disinterested.

"Who is she? A new project? Look S, there's bigger things going on. I just said some very bad things to the duchess and if you'll excuse me, I need to go fix it." With that she walked purposefully towards a door.

Serena looked apologetically at Evie,

"I'm sorry, Blair can be a bit...self-contained sometimes. She is a really nice girl when you get to know her, honest." Evie smiled back, thinking that girls like Blair were never nice girls but the type you would rather have as a friend than an enemy.

"So Evie, shall we find Dan and leave this party? It's a little dull." She nodded back in response. Her first experience on the upper-east side had been a strange jumble of events. 


	3. Old Friends And New Events

_Morning Upper-East Siders, Gossip Girl here and I come bearing invites. Time to wear your latest fall dresses because we're going to Blair Waldorfs to celebrate the start of a new school year. Be there or be forgotten XOXO Gossip Girl_

"Hey Dan, I just got a text. Somebody called Gossip Girl? Are you at a party again tonight?" Evie was still running a little slow after being woken by the buzzing of her phone but remained curious as to who the mysterious texter was.

"Trust me Evie, you should ignore it," she heard Jenny respond from behind a wall. She was still settling into the loft and found the proximity of the rooms took some getting used to. "Gossip Girl has the power to ruin lives, I should know."

Strangely, she found herself disappointed by Jenny's advice. Although she expected to feel out of place at another upper class party she was also fascinated by their world.

"Jenny's right," Dan said popping his head round the door, "Gossip Girl is bad news. She will hate you immediately because you're a Humphrey. Enjoy being under her constant watch."

"You're being a drama queen! There is no way somebody is going to stalk me. I don't do anything interesting to tell people." She replied shaking her head in disbelief, "she invited me to a party...are you going?"

Immediately Dan's face changed into one of worry. He never could hide his feelings. She could even guess that once he opened his mouth the words would come out fast and confused.

"I'm going but I don't think you would like it. I don't even like it, I'm required to go because of Serena otherwise we could stay home and watch a film. I mean an evening at Blair Waldorfs is pretty much the worst thing I could imagine." She always knew him too well. Maybe he was ashamed of his cousin who wasn't raised in the city. The girl who could ruin his rise to the upper-east side. She hated to think it but maybe Dan had changed.

"Oh yeah, it isn't really my thing. I was just curious." Even though she tried to hide it, the disappointment was obvious in her voice. "Jenny, do you want to do something before you go to work?"

The morning was spent drinking coffee at a local cafe which Dan had pointed out a couple days before. Jenny told her all about the mean girls and repeated her warning about avoiding the upper-east side.

After Jenny left, Evie decided to wander. She figured if she was going to stay with the Humphreys then she ought to know about the area around her home. Unlike the few places she had ever lived, New York was covered in concrete and high rise buildings. She had spent time with her uncle previously when her mother became too much to handle but it was never for a long period of time. Now she vowed to stay and spend senior year at a normal school.

She suddenly noticed her attention had wandered and found herself almost walking into a pretty boho girl.

"Sorry, I didn't mean...Vanessa?" Startled she recognised the face of Dan's childhood friend. She remembered from his letters that she was back in the city but she didn't expect to just walk into her on the street.

"Evie! I haven't seen you in such a long time." she cried, pulling the girl into a tight hug. "Are you busy? We can catch up over coffee." Evie giggled, New Yorkers and their coffee! She was sure she'd be a caffeine addict in a week.

"I've just been for coffee with Jenny but we could go back to the loft?"

"That was just where I was headed. Are you going to Blair's party tonight?" When she said Blair her voice dropped to a snarl as though there was something she disliked, no hated, about the girl.

"I wanted to but Dan wasn't so keen on me tagging." she sighed wondering if it was a mistake to say that to Vanessa. After all, she was Dan's best friend and likely to share this little fact with him.

"That makes two of us. I was planning on going with Nate but now he doesn't want me to go. I thought he wanted to get back together but I guess I'm just too embarrassing in front of all his rich friends." Evie was alarmed by how angry Vanessa became when informing her about Nate. She never raised her voice but the tone she was using became more and more irritated until she practically snapped the last word out.

There was a slight pause hanging in the air but before it could become too awkward, Evie put on her brightest smile and pulled out her phone.

"Well according to Gossip Girl, I'm invited. Screw what the boys want, we should throw on our best dresses and paint the town red." Her smile had always been infectious and so it wasn't long before Vanessa was mimicking her facial expression and nodding in agreement.

Only 3 hours later and she was sitting in a taxi with Vanessa heading to Blair's penthouse. Differing to the previous party she had attended, this time she was wearing a cream figure hugging dress which she had bought a year earlier for special occasions. It may not be the latest design but it was a label dress and cost her what she considered a large sum of money. With her hair she had been more cautious, tying her sleek brown locks up into a ponytail. Evie felt confident which was a rare event.

When they finally arrived at an expensive looking building they were ushered into an elevator by a doorman. Even the elevator was expensive with its glossy wooden panels.

"Wow if I lived here I would be full of self-importance too." she mumbled to herself much to Vanessa's amusement. They remembered to make plans to meet up after, she didn t want to pay a cab fare all by herself, and Vanessa added her number to Evie's phone in case of an emergency.

Finally the doors pinged open and Evie found herself in a luxurious lobby filled with many wealthy young people. A quick glance around told her what she feared, Dan wasn't there although there was one face she recognised.

"Chuck Bass, right? I remember you from the library last week." Under usual circumstances she wouldn't stand and chatter with this guy who gave her the creeps but Vanessa had already disappeared into the crowd and the only alternative was standing alone.

"Of course, you're a fast learner it would seem. And you are the Humphrey girl although I don't see how anybody as beautiful as you could be related to that family." Evie's cheeks blushed a deep crimson and she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Hey, they're my cousins so you have to be nice. Could you introduce me to your friends? I hate to ask but I don't know anybody else here." Happy with her plan that she'd soon be rid of the wanna-be playboy, Evie flashed a smile in his direction. She always did know how to make a good impression.

After a short while of introductions to girls who smiled superficially at her and boys who stared uncomfortably, Chuck excused himself leaving Evie with the seemingly pleasant Nelly Yuki. They chattered about school and she discovered Nelly was quite a prodigy at pretty much anything she put her mind to. It was then that the lights went off.

Screaming echoed throughout the building as Evie's thoughts jumped through crazy scenarios that could have occurred. A grand heist, a murder? She was mildly disappointed when their host appeared and informed the guests that there had been a power cut.

"Everybody take a candle and please watch out for each other. You will have to stay here until the power returns." despite her instructions to stay calm, the panic in Blair's voice was evident.

The candle light gave the room a dramatic appearance although the people rushing around trying to gather up friends counteracted the atmosphere. Evie wondered if Blair had planned the power cut to ensure her party would be talked about but then phones started beeping and another text from Gossip Girl arrived.

_Hey boys and girls. My sources tell me the party tonight is not Queen B's finest. Lucky she has this surprise twist - a city wide blackout. Oh the antics we can have when nobody can see them. Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. XOXO Gossip Girl._

Evie looked around the room, every person there was reading the same text regarding it in quite a serious way for something she thought of as a joke. It took her a moment to realise it and once she did panic set in - she was standing in a room full of strangers in the dark and this mystery person had just encouraged, no demanded, bad behaviour. She had to find Vanessa and quickly.


End file.
